What on earth is Shabbos and why are you always lookin...

This is what I saw in my Facebook inbox today from my best friend from college.

She says:
So what on earth is Shabbos and why are you always looking for places to go and eat for it? Very curious and have been wondering a long time.


My response:
Shabbos, called Shabbat by others, is the Jewish Sabbath. It is the lifeblood of the Jewish week. It starts just before sundown when the Jewish woman lights candles and makes a blessing. Friday night there is a special Shabbos dinner. Saturday around noon, there is a special lunch. People invite friends and family. We sing songs around the dinner table. We discuss the portion of the week. In Judaism, the first five books are EVERYTHING to us. It's called the Torah which means Teaching. The Torah is divided up into weekly reads so that we finish it every year. The portion for the week is actually called the Parshah.